The Sword, The Shield and The Smith
by Dragon Elexus
Summary: Steven and Bismuth didn't go alone to the Forge. They brought Connie along. Things go differently.
1. Chapter 1

**The Sword, The Shield, and The Smith**

"So tomorrow you gonna show me what you got on the battlefield?" asked Bismuth.

"Oh, I would. But most of my weapons are for defence." Steven summoned his shield in demonstration. "Oh, except for one!" Steven went over to Lion, plunged his hand into his mane, and pulled out…

"Rose's sword!" Bismuth gasped. "My finest piece of work."

"You made this?" Steven asked, awed. "Wow… I can't wait to tell Connie…"

"Connie?" said Bismuth.

"My best friend," said Steven. "I'm… not actually that good a sword fighter. But Connie's amazing! Pearl's been teaching her and she's already a real master! She's the one who uses the sword most of the time, not me."

That was surprising. Rose's summoned weapon may have been her shield, but her _chosen_ weapon had been a sword. Yet this… new version of her didn't use it, or even remember who'd created it. Bismuth thought, ' _he really doesn't remember_.'

"Huh, well," Bismuth said aloud. "This Connie really sounds like something. I'd like to meet her."

"You can! Not now," Steven said, quickly. "She'll be sleeping. But if I call her tomorrow morning, maybe her parents will let her come over. It'll be great!"

oOoOo

For a long time, Bismuth didn't sleep. Steven had explained the process to her, but it just wasn't coming. She lay on her back, eyes open, staring at the wooden ceiling. At one point, she rolled over, and a portrait of Rose Quartz hanging above the doorframe came into view. She quickly rolled back and forced her eyes closed, and at some point, she drifted off.

She dreamed, although she did not know the word for dream.

She dreamed of Garnet and Pearl, cheering and laughing. But the cheers turned into screams, the laughter into sobs, and there were other voices too— voices belonging to Biggs, Crazy Lace, Snowflake, hundreds of others, rubies and pearls and emeralds and bismuths and quartzes and corals… They were fighting somewhere in the distance, but Bismuth couldn't see them, couldn't reach them. The sound of steel against steel, of a Gem shattering into shards, of a sword snapping in half.

A new form appeared in front of her.

"I'm sorry," said Rose Quartz, tears in her eyes, lies on her lips.

"I'm sorry, Bismuth," said Rose Quartz, but it was Steven.

"Bismuth, Bismuth, Bismuth," the voice kept saying, again and again, and Bismuth opened her eyes, and it _was_ Steven, small and eager, grinning down at her. She sat up, staring around. She was in the wooden base, daylight streaming in through the windows, the darkness and screams and fighting gone.

"Morning," Steven chirped. He was holding two white spherical things in his hands. "Wanna help make scrambled eggs?"

Bismuth shook her head. She didn't have any idea what had just happened. But she said, "Sure, why not?"

oOoOo

After breakfast, Steven 'phoned' Connie— which was a basically a form of long-distance communication using a device similar to a Wailing Stone, only smaller and significantly less annoying. The boy bounced on his feet as he talked. He didn't mention Bismuth, seemingly content to leave it as a surprise— but judging by his ear-to-ear grin, and the way he kept nearly bursting into giggles, it seemed as though he might let it slip at any moment. At last the call ended, and he punched the air. "Yes!" Steven cheered. "She'll be here at one, and her parents are even letting her stay the night. It'll be a real sleepover!"

"Sweet," said Bismuth.

They had time to spare before Connie's arrival, so Steven set off to give Bismuth a tour of 'Beach City'. The others tagged along, laughing and joking as they went.

"Humans sure have developed a lot," Bismuth sad, as they approached the boardwalk. Their clothes were different— brighter, for starters. Their buildings were bigger and sturdier, and they had invented fast moving vehicles.

"Pssh, this is nothing," said Amethyst.

"Beach City is quite small," Pearl agreed. "You should see Empire City. I hate to admit, but it has skyscrapers tall enough to match some of the Spires you used to build."

" _I'll_ be the judge of that," said Bismuth with a laugh.

But Beach City was more than enough for now. She was taken to eat 'donuts', to play 'arcade games', to ride a 'roller coaster'. She met humans, too, big and small. They took her in stride— none of the awestruck, worshipful looks of some of the ones she'd dealt with in the past. A girl called Jenny complimented her on her hair; a boy took a video of her shapeshifting for his 'blog', whatever that meant; a third tiny, odd just stared at her with round, expressionless eyes, before turning his back and walking away.

Then they came to a building decorated with a large picture of an elephant. Steven ran up to it shouting, "Dad! Dad!"

The man appeared from behind a vehicle, dripping hose in his hand. He was on the older side for his species, with long grey hair and a big belly, which surely meant he was successful, as far as humans went. He looked quite anxious when he first noticed Steven with a strange Gem, one so large and muscular. But he relaxed when he saw Steven's excitement, the way Pearl leaned into her, the way even Garnet smiled brightly.

"Any friend of the Crystal Gems is a friend of mine," he said, after introductions had been made. His name was Greg, and he barely even flinched when Bismuth gave his hand a mighty shake.

He was apparently Steven's 'Dad', the person who had provided him with half of his being. "I gotta say," Bismuth remarked, after his relationship with Rose had been explained. "I wouldn't have pegged you as Rose's type. But I guess I never _could_ predict what she would do."

"She was a real wild card," Greg agreed.

Bismuth laughed along, but it felt hollow.

oOoOo

Steven grew more and more excited as Connie's arrival approached. He kept trying to think up the best way to introduce Bismuth to her. Amethyst wanted to create an elaborate mock battle, filled with swords, shape-shifting and screaming— Connie would come running in to save everyone, only to discover it was just one big joke at the last second.

They never got that far. But Bismuth did end up hiding beneath the porch steps.

Through them Bismuth watched as a human who could only be Connie came up the beach. Brown skin, black hair. Small, but that seemed to be from organic youth rather than inherent size. She was slight and slim, but well-muscled, and Bismuth could see how she'd be well suited to Pearl's fighting style.

And when Bismuth jumped out from under the steps, Connie screamed and immediately came at her with a roundhouse kick.

That's how Bismuth knew she was something special.

oOoOo

Connie was chagrined when she discovered what was really going on, but Bismuth waved her apologies off. "Don't worry about you. I can see you got some real skill. Wanna show me some more?"

Connie's eyes glittered, and she said a little slyly, "Only if you'll show me something too."

A trade was more than fair. Another four-way brawling match was held on the beach, mighty-Gem clashing against mighty Gem, leaving the two children starry eyed. Once the Crystal Gems' sparring was finished, they suited up and stepped onto the field themselves. Steven and Connie, versus Pearl and an army of holograms.

They were amazing.

They wove in and around each other, pure coordination. Connie cut, slashed, jabbed, parried; Steven blocked and shielded, never leaver her back undefended. They had combo moves— Steven throwing his shield as a distraction, so Connie could land the killing blow on a hologram; Connie jumping off of Steven's shield for height and speed; Connie and Steven back-to-back, spinning in a circle—

— and glowing—

— and _fusing_.

They didn't even stop, didn't even notice. Just continued their attack on Pearl, relentless, until they sent the sword flying out of her hand.

"Ha! Surrender?" they shouted.

Pearl laughed, throwing her hands up. "Yes! Wonderful work!"

Amethyst was whooping, while Garnet was screaming. "GO STEVONNIE!"

"Huh?" the fusion looked down at themself. "Whoops. Did it again."

Amethyst snorted.

Bismuth got up, went over, and gave the fusion a hearty pat on the back. "You were awesome," Bismuth said. "Care to go a round with me?"

"Uh…" said Stevonnie. "Honestly— I've only ever fought as _myself_ once before— er, not counting just now, and—"

("And you rocked!" Amethyst shouted.)

"— and fusion training isn't scheduled until next week—"

"This ain't training. This is just for kicks!"

So Stevonnie decided they were in. The fusion ran at Bismuth, armed with both sword and shield, Bismuth with nothing but her own hands, and eventually, left panting, the two had to agree to a tie.

(Bismuth had gone easy on them, but only a little.)

oOoOo

That night, after beds were prepared and the lights had gone dark, Connie and Steven sat on the couch as Bismuth cradled the sword in her lap, and talked of soldiers, of choices, of revolution, of reshaping yourself, of being you and no one else.

And she looked at those two— a human girl, and a not-quite-human boy— and she saw their anxiety. Saw their fear of not being enough. Saw how the only weapons they had were not their own, but ones handed down to them by someone they'd never even met.

So Bismuth said, "And you know what? You deserve an even better weapon."

oOoOo

Deep in the Forge, Bismuth spoke of fighting, of fairness, of justice, and presented to the children something which could achieve it all. The Breaking Point.

Steven wore the weapon on his arm, and stood, trembling, before the statue of a featureless Gem. He closed his eyes, pressed the pointed metal against its stone chest, and… "Bismuth, I can't use this."

"What? Why not?" Bismuth cried, as Steven's arm dropped.

"Shattering Gems— wouldn't that make us just the same as Homeworld?"

"Of course not! We'd be shattering them for the sake of our cause; to protect our allies, our friends! To free all Gems from Homeworld's tyranny!"

Steven, mouth dry, tried to find the right words. He looked to Connie for support.

Her expression was conflicted. "I don't know, Steven," she said. "Humans kill each other all the time in war. Sometimes for really bad reasons… Because people can be cruel, or greedy, but…" She wrung her hands. "Think of that part in _Destiny's End_ , where Lisa attacked Councillor Hale before she could issue that execution order? Maybe sometimes killing someone might be the only option…"

"Exactly!" said Bismuth, although she had no idea who Lisa or Councillor Hale was.

"But— humans aren't like Gems," said Steven. "Humans kind of… die really easily. But if we poof a Gem, we can stop them being dangerous without shattering them. And… well, I don't know what happens after a person dies, but I don't think shattering's exactly the same… I think it's worse. I've felt shards' minds. They can still think, but they're broken, and hurting… trying to find lost parts of themselves." He turned from Connie to Bismuth, sorrow in his voice. "I just don't think it's what a Crystal Gem would do."

"Don't tell me what I Crystal Gem would do. Nobody's more Crystal Gem then I am. If you won't take it, I'll just use it myself!"

"No! No one is using it!" Steven threw the Breaking Point to the floor. It clattered. Connie flinched. Bismuth stared. "I'm sorry, Bismuth. It's not right."

The heat from the lava floor seemed to grow hotter.

"That's exactly what she said."

"Huh?" said Steven and Connie.

Bismuth stepped towards Steven— no, Rose— fist balled. "That's exactly what _you_ said!" The imposter was sweating, and Bismuth knew she was right. "It is you, isn't it Rose? Don't expect me to believe you now, after you lied about everything! You're lying about this new form, just like you lied to the others about me!" She picked Rose up by the shirt; she squirmed and struggled. "But I didn't just disappear, did I? YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!"

Rose summoned from her bubble, popping out of Bismuth's grasp and flying backwards. She landed sprawled on the floor. Connie ran to the side of her false-friend. "Are you okay?" she asked. Then she turned on Bismuth, eyes flashing. "What are you _doing_?"

"I'm showing you the truth. She's been lying to you!"

"Wait, Bismuth, this is just a big misunderstanding—"

"LIAR. Don't play games with us Rose. You were right here. I offered you the secret to victory and you refused. The Breaking Point would have changed everything. I didn't want to fight you—" Bismuth's raised a glowing hand, its shape shifting— "But you left me no CHOICE!"

Bismuth brought her mallet-of-a-hand down on Rose—

— and stopped it just centimetres away from Connie's face.

"No," Connie said.

"Get out of my way, girl," Bismuth ordered. "This is between me and Rose. She doesn't need a human for a shield."

"Steven's not Rose Quartz."

"You think that. She's very convincing. It's a lie, a trick—"

"No." Connie stepped forward. She hadn't brought a weapon, not even a stick, but still, she was standing up to a Gem a good three times her size. "You've been here less than two days. You don't know Steven. You don't know what you're talking about."

Bismuth's face softened. She knew how this betrayal must be hurting. But Connie needed to know the truth. "Rose is thousands of years old. She knows how to play the long game."

" _Steven_ is fourteen," Connie yelled. "He's fourteen and he has _baby pictures_ and on his birthday he made himself taller just because he thought I would like it! When we met he fell of his bike and ran away screaming. He kept a glow bracelet for me for months just because I'd lost it! He's sweet and caring and considerate! He's not a liar and he's _not Rose_!"

Bismuth took a step back. Connie wasn't finished.

"I've _fused_ with him. Lots of times. Do you think he could keep something like that from me?" Bismuth lost her grip on her shapeshifting, and her mallet turned back into a hand. "Don't pretend to know better than me, because you don't!"

Bismuth looked from Connie, fierce and full of fury, to Rose, hiding behind her, tiny, wide-eyed, shaking…

… and he really wasn't Rose, was he?

"Oh stars," Bismuth said, anger melting away and reality sinking in. "I could have…"

Connie took her place next to Steven, wrapping her hand around his. "I don't know what's right. I don't know if we should shatter Homeworld Gems." Connie picked up the Breaking Point. "But we're going to discuss this with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Now."

 **oOoOo**

 **Author's Note:** I've been wanting to do something with Bismuth since before her episode even aired. I was talking with a number of folks on Tumblr about how things might have gone differently is someone else had been there when Bismuth revealed the Breaking Point- if Pearl had been caught in the heat of the moment, if Garnet had seen things coming, if a still rage-filled and insecure Amethyst had found hope in her fight against Jasper...

But honestly, I'd just come off of my story 'Xenopology', and a really, really wanted to write interactions between Bismuth and Connie. So here we are.

This was meant to be a one-shot, but such is the way things go. Big thanks to LadyRavenEye for beta'ing this for me. Check out their work if you haven't. 3


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning:** Warning for PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

oOoOo

 **Part Two**

When they warped back, the other Crystal Gems were waiting. They grinned at first, but their smiles faded when they saw the strange weapon in Connie's arms, the serious expression on Steven's face, the unflinching resolve on Bismuth's.

Bismuth looked at them, closed her eyes, and said, "Here's how I ended up in Rose Quartz's bubble."

oOoOo

They all sat around the small human table, Bismuth cross-legged on the floor, the others on the couch. Bismuth told her story. Once Bismuth described Rose's refusal— how she'd thrown the Breaking Point to the floor, forbidden anyone from using it, and the sheer disbelief that Bismuth had felt— the _anger_ -

"You attacked her?" demanded Pearl.

"I had no choice!" Bismuth said.

"Yes, you did! Of course you did! And how did you attack her? With _that_?" Pearl pointed accusingly at the Breaking Point.

Bismuth didn't respond, and that alone said everything.

Pearl stood, her trident appearing in her hand, though she scarcely seemed to notice. "How _could_ you?"

Bismuth stood too. "How could I? Rose bubbled _me_.

"And I wouldn't have shattered her. Not then," said Bismuth. "But I would have stopped her. Anything to use the Breaking Point, anything to have won the Rebellion—"

"Without Rose we would have lost the Rebellion!"

"Would we? Because she seems to have _lost_ _it anyway._ "

Silence. Taut and deadly.

"Bismuth," Garnet said, warning.

"No," said Bismuth. "Face the facts. The war was a failure! You said it yourself! All you did was grant this planet a reprieve! Homeworld is still coming from it, our friends are all dead, and it's all _Rose's fault_!"

Pearl lunged forward. She was held back by Amethyst, but only barely. The quartz looked close to letting Pearl go and leaping in as well.

Connie and Steven were huddled together on the couch, quiet and staring.

"The war was devastating to both sides." Garnet's face was expressionless, her voice carefully level. "Their final blow was something we never could have expected. We can't know if the Breaking Point would have changed anything. We can't use that as a justification for shattering enemies—"

"Oh," said Bismuth. "I see. _We_ can't shatter dangerous enemies. But when the _perfect_ Rose Quartz does it, it's fine?"

Steven's small voice said, "What?"

Bismuth looked at him. "He doesn't know?"

"Doesn't know what?" said Connie. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl all exchanged nervous glances.

"You never told him?" said Bismuth. She could tell they hadn't. She turned to the children, crouched down low. "Here's the facts, then. Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond."

Connie froze. Steven jerked back.

"What?" he said. "That's— not true! She— had to fight, but she'd never shatter someone!"

"Oh?" Bismuth looked at Pearl and Garnet.

"Steven…" Pearl began.

"Is it true?" Steven demanded.

"Yes," said Garnet. She stood. "Bismuth- leave."

"What? Where?"

"Anywhere. We need to speak to Steven and Connie. Alone."

So Bismuth left.

oOoOo

First she went to the Strawberry Battlefields.

She wandered through overgrown fruit and vines, past abandoned weapons, many of which she herself had forged, and wondered how many Gems she loved had died here.

She went to the Galaxy Warp. None of the pads worked. She hadn't expected them to. For this, at least, she was glad.

She went to the Primary Kindergarten. It looked identical to how it had when she and the other Crystal Gems had driven Homeworld forces away from it. It was no bigger, no deader. As far as she could tell, the only change was a single new hole a ground level. It was tiny. Amethyst's, presumably. That meant one good thing had come out of this horrible place, at least.

She went to the Sky Spire and the Magma Catacombs. Both were empty. She went to the great desert, and found nothing there. She visited dozens of old Crystal Gem bases and ships. All were abandoned and overrun, or gone entirely.

Other places she couldn't even reach. Their warp pads must have broken millennia ago.

oOoOo

She kept expecting the others to come and find her. To talk to her, to fight her, to bubble her.

They didn't.

She'd been angry at Rose, and she still was. Angry how Rose had betrayed the cause, that she had locked her away, and had cared so little that she'd never even told anyone.

But maybe Garnet and Pearl had never cared either.

She tried to escape those thoughts. Tried to fill her mind with other things. But that was impossible

She tried to sleep again, once, but the ritual just summoned horrible visions that left her gasping and screaming.

She wished that they'd come and bubble her, so she could rest again. She wished she'd never been unbubbled in the first place. She wished that Rose had shattered her.

Sometimes, Bismuth wanted to just shatter herself. But she never could quite summon the strength.

oOoOo

Earth was still beautiful.

There were still forests, and rivers, and waterfalls, and gardens, and deserts and fields and swamps. There were still rainbows and clouds and rain and storms. Still animals, big and small, living wild and free, boundless.

And now there were cities. _Human_ cities. Bismuth never ventured in them, but from a distance she could still see the massive towers, sprawling streets and beautiful lights. The humans had survived, and spread and grown and built.

Whatever else, the Rebellion had protected that, at least.

oOoOo

For the most part, animals avoided Bismuth. She was big, and smelled strange, and every instinct told them to avoid things like her. If Bismuth was really quiet, she could watch deer or monkeys or seals without letting them know she was there. If she scattered seeds at her feet, sometimes they would even come close, so close she could have touched them. But otherwise, even the fiercest, most dangerous Earth creatures stayed out of her way.

Which was why Bismuth was so shocked when something tore out of the underbrush and attacked her.

For a moment there was nothing but snarling and a fury of claws, something scrabbling at her face. Initially she was too shocked to do anything, but then her fighting abilities took over; she grabbed the animal around its neck and hurled it away.

It slammed into a tree with a smack. It got to its feet, and Bismuth expected it to run off. But no, it came at her again, eyes glowing, teeth bared.

Bismuth turned her fist into a hammer, and brought it down on the animal's head.

No. Not an animal. When her blow struck, it turned into a puff of smoke, and something shiny dropped at her feet.

"A Gem," Bismuth said, picking the stone up. A Humite, if she wasn't mistaken. "What _happened_ to you?"

A rainbow bubble blossomed around the stone. Bismuth sent it off with a tap. She wasn't sure where it went. The Forge, probably. It was the only place left she could call home.

oOoOo

Bismuth returned to Steven's house.

Only Garnet was there when she arrived, sitting and reading a folded collection of papers. She put them down when she heard the warp beam.

Garnet didn't look surprised to see her. But then, she wouldn't.

"You never came after me," Bismuth said.

"You needed space," said Garnet. "So did we."

In that moment, Bismuth wanted nothing more than that space again. She was sorely tempted to just warp off again. But she'd come here for a reason, and she intended to follow through. She stepped off the warp pad.

"While I was out there," Bismuth began, "I found a Gem, a Humite. But she was _wrong_. She looked and acted like a wild animal. What happened to her?"

"Homeworld."

Bismuth closed her eyes against the burn of tears. She'd already suspected, but it was something else to be certain.

"Do you really believe that Homeworld— that the Diamonds— deserve to be saved?" she asked. "After all they've done? Do you think Rose was right?"

There was a light fall of footsteps. The weight of hands on her shoulders. When Bismuth opened her eyes, she found herself looking into Garnet's face, glasses gone. "I think," said Garnet, "that you and Rose were both doing what you thought was best.

"I'm angry at Rose. For hiding you away. For not discussing it with us. For lying. I'm angry at you too. For attacking Rose, and putting her into that position."

"I—" started Bismuth.

"No." Garnet raised a hand, stopping her. "You escalated this. It's what you do. It's what you would have done to Steven, if Connie hadn't intervened. Yes, she told me about that. You _knew_ that we might not have agreed with you— that's why you went to the children first. You went behind our backs as well, Bismuth."

The words hung heavy. Bismuth sagged. "You're… you're right. I just— wanted a second chance. Wanted to make things better."

"That's all any of us want," said Garnet. There was an old softness in her voice, and Bismuth was reminded of the bright-eyed young fusion Garnet had once been.

Bismuth chanced a small smile. Then she said, "Where's Pearl?"

oOoOo

Bismuth heard Pearl before she saw her. A quiet murmuring, soft in conversation with someone else. Bismuth pressed herself against the wall and peeked her head around the corner. She was speaking with the human Greg.

She had meant to dart back around the corner and wait, but Bismuth had never been much good at hiding. Greg was the one who saw her, pointing. Bismuth froze. No point slinking away. She came forward. Pearl straightened.

Greg looked like he wanted to be anywhere else— but he stood his ground. He even seemed to be putting himself in front of Pearl as some sort of defence, emotional or physical or both.

"It's alright, Greg," said Pearl.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to…"

"I'll be fine."

Greg gave a tight nod, and vanished into the vehicle-washing facility.

Bismuth and Pearl regarded each other, war. There was tension in the air. It felt like the beginning of a sparring match.

"Least you haven't taken your spear out," said Bismuth, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

It didn't work. Many times before Bismuth had managed to steal a surprise smile out of Pearl, but this was not one of those times. All Pearl did was take a step closer. "Where have you been?"

"Exploring. You?"

"… We went to the moon base to fool a group of Homeworld rubies."

Bismuth snorted. She could only imagine how that had gone. "And where are the rubies now, then?"

"Floating around somewhere near Mars. Not a threat to anyone."

Bismuth could see what point she was making, and chose to say nothing.

Pearl expression was hard. She said, "I'm not angry that you attacked Rose."

Bismuth's eyebrows shot up. "You're not?"

"Not anymore," said Pearl. "Rose could handle herself."

An old hurt. Bismuth couldn't help but say, "I'll never be anything better than second to her."

Pearl winced. "Bismuth—"

"No, no. I understand," Bismuth said. And she did, she did. She knew the warmth, the light, that Rose had been able to spark inside, how she had been able to inspire anyone to follow that light. No light had burned brighter than the one she'd lit inside Pearl. She'd never begrudged them that, or what they'd had together. "But Pearl— Rose lied, she locked me away—"

"I know." And now Pearl's voice broke, tears spilling out and running down her cheeks. "I know.

"I lived with her for over five thousand years. I've lived with every decision she made. I've stood by them all, even the ones I didn't understand. And I've been learning to accept that not— that not all of them were right. And what she did to you was… was _terrible_."

Pearl stopped, though the tears didn't. Snot was dripping out of her nose. Bismuth had to resist the urge to wipe it away. Pearl did it herself. She took a moment to compose herself, and when she spoke, her voice was clear. "Something else I've learned is that Rose's decisions, even when they make no sense… there's still something good to be found in them."

There was a strange softness in her voice, as well as a paradoxical fierceness. Bismuth said, "You're talking about Steven."

Pearl nodded. "He's like nothing else. So, no, I'm not angry you attacked Rose. But I am angry that you attacked _him_."

"I'm— I'm sorry. That was a mistake."

"It's a mistake that can't happen again. If I'm to trust you— if _any_ of us are to trust you— we need to know that you won't hurt him."

"I won't. I promise."

Pearl watched her for several long seconds, her eyes hard and glittering. Then she nodded, seemingly satisfied.

Then there was no movement, no words. Just the weight of the past.

There had been a time— barely yesterday for Bismuth, so long ago for Pearl— that they'd been so close. Rose, Pearl, Garnet and Bismuth: the original Crystal Gems, misfits, rebels, comrades in arms. They would have done anything for each other.

"So what's the good to be found in me having been bubbled away for all this time?"

"I don't know," Pearl confessed. She came yet another few steps closer, until she stood only a breath away. She stared up at Bismuth. "But you're here. You're alive. And I'm glad for that."

oOoOo

Bismuth could have gone back to the base with Pearl, but no… wounds were still too raw. Garnet was right. They still needed space.

Besides. There were others she wanted to speak to. And she found them, in a sense.

From a distance, Bismuth mistook them for a human. It was only when she got closer that she recognised their mane of dark hair, the too-small red shirt with the yellow star. They were sitting on the sand, eyes closed, face blank.

"Stevonnie," Bismuth said.

The fusions's eyes flew open. They scrambled to their feet. "B-Bismuth! What're you doing here?"

"Apologizing," said Bismuth. "Am I interrupting something? Combat training? "

"Not… exactly." Stevonnie's mouth twisted, as if debating with themself. "It's something Garnet taught me. Meditation, I guess."

"Ah. Fusion training, then. I could come back later, if you…"

Stevonnie shook their head. "No, no, it's— ah, it's fine."

Bismuth gave a tight smile. She took a seat on the sand. Stevonnie remained standing. She supposed that was fair.

"I'm sorry, Steven," said Bismuth. "I acted rashly, and could have hurt you very badly. Thank you, Connie. For stopping me."

Stevonnie rubbed their arms. "Oh… well, apology accepted. You're not the first person who's thought Steven is his mom."

Bismuth grimaced. "I can imagine."

"I'm glad you're back, actually. I've been wanting to talk to you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Finally Stevonnie joined her on the sand— though they still kept a safe distance. "The Gems told me… us… about Pink Diamond. About why Rose Quartz shattered her." Stevonnie fell silent, collecting their thoughts. Bismuth gave them time. "Rose did it to protect Gems, to protect humans and the Earth. I get that. I just wish that she _hadn't_ had to do it. I wish there had been a peaceful way.

"But I've also had to realise that sometimes… there isn't. That sometimes you can try and try, and people just won't… just won't listen. And that when that happens, it's okay— it's fine if—"

Stevonnie broke off. Their eyes had gone distant, and their hands were clutching at each other, knuckles white. Bismuth wanted to reach out, give some form of comfort, but knew she couldn't.

They came back to themselves on their own, their breathing evening, their focus returning. "Sometimes," they said. "You have to do whatever you have to, to protect yourself, and the people you love."

Bismuth nodded, slowly. She could tell something had happened. Something painful, something that had made them think. She wondered what, but didn't ask. She wouldn't press Stevonnie for information they wouldn't offer themselves. Instead, she said, "So do you see why the Breaking Point is necessary?"

"I can see why it _might_ be necessary," Stevonnie conceded. "But— not as a first resort. Not before you've tried to talk, or at least bubble them."

"They won't care. They'll be trying to kill you. If you let them, they _will_ kill you."

"I know. I know, but we still have to try. Because most of them… they just don't know better. And if you don't give them a chance, then you might lose a friend you could have had."

"Sometimes you need to value the friends you _do_ have over hypothetical ones."

"But it's not that simple," said Stevonnie. "I have two friends— well, they're more Steven's than mine, really. Lapis and Peridot." Bismuth frowned thoughtfully. She knew about Lapis Lazulis, of course— not combat Gems, but here on a planet with so much water, they could be pretty terrifying. Peridot sounded like a Gem name, but it wasn't one she was familiar with. "Both of them… both of them were really dangerous. They tried to kill us. But we talked with them, and became friends, and without them… well, the Earth would be destroyed, right now."

Hope bloomed in Bismuth's core. "So you're telling me that we've got a couple other Crystal Gems?"

"Well, Lapis isn't really a Crystal Gem… but yeah. They live out at the barn. We could introduce you?"

"I'd like that," said Bismuth. "It's good to know that— well, it's not just us. That even if Homeworld killed everyone else, we can still rebuild our ranks. And you're right. If we're going to do that, we're going to have to give them a chance to see things our way."

For the first time in the conversation, Stevonnie smiled. "So… no shattering Gems?"

"I can't promise that," said Bismuth. "There might be times when it's necessary. But… I'll try. And we can try talking about it with the others again."

Stevonnie took a deep breath. "Okay," they said. "Okay. And you should know… your friends, the other Crystal Gems, they're not dead. At least, not all of them."

"They've been turned into monsters, right?" At Stevonnie's surprised look, Bismuth explained, "I ran into one. It's **twisted,** what's been done to her."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," Stevonnie agreed. "But… I think there might be a way to fix it. Steven's already helped one of them, at least partially. We call her Centi. She can't talk, and her body's sort of weird, but she remembers stuff. It's not easy, and I don't know if they can be healed completely, but…"

"But there's a chance?" said Bismuth.

Stevonnie smiled, and nodded.

"Then I'll help," said Bismuth. "Whatever it takes, I'll help."

oOoOo

 **Author's Note:** And there we have it, folks.

I'll admit- I may not be done with this AU. I've got a lot feelings about Bismuth, and would definitely be interesting in exploring her interactions with the cast (especially Lapis). So maybe I'll get the energy to write some sort of continuation/sequel, we'll see.

For now: how about them shorts, eh?


End file.
